WHAT DOES SEO DO FOR YOUR WEBSITE?

The term “search engine optimization,” SEO, as a content marketing strategy is familiar to most website owners. SEO aims to rank your website higher on search engines by incorporating quality, relevant content specifically designed to please the Google algorithm. Today, search engines possess a sophisticated system that judges your online presence based on an extensive list of considerations. Some algorithm factors include site usability and how often users engage with your pages. It also reads the text on the page and in the meta-information to determine its main topic. That way, when people search for a word or phrase similar to your service or product, your website shows up. For example, if your business sells fine art prints, you want your site to appear when internet users type the words “fine art prints.”

But you may still wonder, what does SEO do for your website? One enlightening often-cited statistic in content marketing circles is that around 75% of internet users do not search beyond the first page of Google. 25% will click on the very first result. Like the rest of the world, the internet is becoming more crowded every day. The competition continues to grow as more businesses vie for that first-page spot. It takes continual updating and significant know-how to optimize your website. But disregarding SEO altogether is a mistake. Here’s why. 

An unqualified lead refers to users directed to your site when your product or service doesn’t relate to their search. A telltale giveaway of unqualified leads is a multitude of website visitors, but high bounce rates and low sales. This is because your website content is attracting the wrong customers who have no use for what you are selling. This can happen with display ads and social media ads. It’s like going to a beauty product store for camping gear. Incorporating applicable content and good SEO will enhance the number of qualified leads because internet users are brought to the right place. Read our white paper that discusses the importance of publishing well-written, targeted content as a part of your eCommerce digital marketing strategy.

The percentage of website visitor to customer conversions increases exponentially with a qualified lead because users naturally find what they’re looking for. For this reason, a qualified lead is far more effective than an intrusive, irrelevant advertisement. While online ads have become more targeted, nothing is more successful at making a sale than an organic Google search.

The high conversion rate combined with the relatively lower ongoing price of SEO services results in fewer costs. Across industries, the average cost per click is $2.32 for advertisements, but it can take thousands of impressions before converting into a click. An optimized site has a longer-lasting effect than fleeting advertisements. Websites should be continually updated to maintain a first-page ranking, but once your site climbs the ranks, it’s much easier to stay there as you get more and more quality traffic. 

By incorporating SEO, your website’s edges will naturally begin to smooth and start to look more professional. Marketing strategies like creating useful content, implementing a user-friendly design, formatting pages properly, adding videos, and other media work together to create an appealing online presence. The best part is, all of these factors work in a cyclical pattern. A great website equates to more validity, which translates to more qualified leads, resulting in more sales, then more authority, which then leads to even better search engine placements. 

To learn more about SEO, read about the basics of content marketing, or see how well-executed web design layouts can improve your sales. If you need better SEO to work for your website, Boxwood Digital will create a custom strategy that targets what is right for your business.